SMTOWN Paris fanaccount behind the scenes~

Jun 12, 2011 17:17

So here we go! I'm going to write a little report/account on what happened to me yesterday (june 11th, 2011) at SMTOWN Paris...
This is both simply for myself (I like to keep in writting the memories I have of special moments with Jungsoo and suju) and for everyone who asked for it via twitter ^^

There's 3 parts in this... my background with jungsoo to understand everything, smtown paris, and finally a little talk about what I feel about Jungsoo, my future in fandom...etc.



First of all, for everyone who reads this who might not know who I am at all, I need to do a quick recap... Or you wouldn't understand how yesterday happened. It wasn't the first time I met Jungsoo at all, and it's only because of what happened in the past that yesterday was yesterday... ^^

Background story

So, I'm french (not half korean or anything), and I live in Paris. I have been a suju fan since the early days~ I used to be a mod in the suju lj comm, and I was co-founder of sj-world.net, admin for 2years as well until earlier this year. Jungsoo is my fav since day 1.

I went to korea for the first time in winter 2007, and then already with my friend isabelle who is french as well, we got noticed on sukira during open studio, and Eunteuk talked to us through the mics outside. That was the first contact.
I went for holidays i korea again in summer 2008 during Yoriwang promotion. I got many chances to see Jungsoo then at performances (M!countdown, music bank, sukira...) but also at fansigns. Back then in korea there was very little white fans coming to so many events, that made Isabelle and I very lucky on many aspects.. We were recognised more easily, and remembered as well (from fans, security, or the boys themselves sometimes).
I then went to korea in january 2009 to live and study there. I stayed until april 2011.
In march 2009 I went to a hug event filmed by MBC. While I was in the line someone from the staff asked me to comeon stage because i was the only white person there, they wanted to do something special and I got interviewed by Shindong and Jungsoo. Then I hugged Jungsoo.
After that I went to many sorry sorry performances, and also many "Challenge! Good song" recording, in the public. Tv shows recordings like that are really cool, you can talk to Jungsoo (or your favorite idol whoever he is) very easily, because there's not many fans and we are right by the stage. So Jungsoo started seeing me a lot then.

Then the ultimate luck, in summer-fall 2009 I got asked to participate in the KBS tv show "미녀들의 수다!" (misuda / chitchat of the pretty ladies). A show with a pannel of foreign girls talking in korean about their life in korea and their own culture etc. The night after the first show aired, Jungsoo sent me a private message via cyworld saying "congratulation!^^" in korean (click). I was mostly talking about him during the show so he most likely heard about it a lot lol. But I was still crazily surprised and happy when I saw the message <3
I then participated in the "special" of this show happening for chuseok (a korean holiday). The writters of the show asked for Jungsoo to participate with me. We danced together then had a short interview.
The dance part is over here: http://forangel.egloos.com/2540264 Also to do that we had to practice before backstage..
The after that he also guested on a misuda episode where i was there so we talked a bit...

I left misuda by the end of the year but i kept going often to Star King recordingsin the public, and going to concerts, and well... he was still seeing me a lot everywhere, and he was usually asking me news when I was coming to star king or other shows recordings. "how have you been? what are you doing now in korea? did you watch this or that?" etc. or I was asking him stuff as well.
That's also how I knew before about SMTOWN Paris and told it on twitter before it was announced, because he told me about it on star king~

So all this brings us to SMTOWN in Paris yesterday!! lol.

SMTOWN Paris Press con + Backstage

Earlier this week I got a message from a korean friend, he told me SBS had contacted him so he would contact me. SBS remembered me from misuda (even though misuda was on KBS lol) and they wanted me for a special interview thingy of the french fans at smtown paris... So I got in touch with them and I met them on friday. But it was raining and they started up late so nothing happened friday in the end. We decided to meet again on saturday at 3pm.
I went to the concert in standing, it was great :D nothing special to report. There's so many videos, i do not need to report the actual concert lol ^^

On saturday, I met SBS people around 3pm. First we did a game with the fans waiting. I was "MC" lol (though I suck as a MC ^^;; even in french). We had boards with pictures of idols from smtown and participants had to find out their names and the best were winning suju and dbsk signed albums~
The thing is... Any normal Kpop fans can usually tell the names of all soshi, suju, shinee, dbsk and fx... At least if they are not completly one group-biased or very new (but I am jungsoo super biased and still I know them xD) anyway, it was too easy and all te participant had all the names. So we added a new thing, anyone who could tell the name of the idols PLUS sing or dance on a SM artist song would win the prize! The girls who won the suju album were cute xD they were crying when they saw the signs in the CD lol xD;;

Once the game ended, I followed the SBS people inside the venue. It was time for the press conference with all the artist and they told me I could watch. The press con was happening on the main stage in the venue... And I was looking from the standing area.
First they started talking by themselves, on how they loved Paris, how they were extatic to be here, how they were so surprised by how many euro fans they had, etc etc. Then there was a few questions, especially from a british journalist and because the only translator they had was a korean-french translator, it's Tiffany and Jessica who translated for the rest of SMTown lol.

While someone was answering a question, I noticed Jungsoo looking around my area. But because on stage there's all the spotlights on your face, you can't see anything among what's not under the light (hense why when we think idols look at us in concert... they actually don't. Well, they look at us maybe but they don't SEE us. They have the lights in their eyes and we are in the dark... They see forms... they can tell there's people's heads but that's all)
So he was squitting, trying to see. At some point he even bended down, his head at the size of his knees to try to look but it seem like he wasn't sure what he was looking at. I tried to walk forward but it didn't seem to change much at first.
Then Jungsoo turned around, behind him was Yehsung. And I saw him say something like "Is it Alice there?" they both tried to look, and I stepped more forward (I couldn't come at the edge cause there was photographers) I waved quickly and so he could recognised me and waved quickly back with a smile ^^

After just 4 questions or so in the press con, they already said there was no more time and they stopped. While all the other artists were leaving, Jungsoo came over to me and was like "long time no see! how are you?" so we started talking a bit, I explained that I'm back in france now etc.
There was a MBC camera behind me that I hadn't noticed, but he was filming Jungsoo talking to me... Jungsoo had seen him and started talking at the camera "this is Alice, she was is my fan who was on misuda. We danced together!" I turned around and said Hi to the camera lol... Quite embarassing xD But cute at the same time.
Anyway, he asked me if i was going to that night's concert and I said no cause at that time I had no ticket but I said I went the day before and it was awesome. Then because he was the only one left on stage he had to leave...

Here is a fancam of the presscon to prove what I'm saying:
http://youtu.be/imHsoEhs-u4 i was on the left: At 9'15 Jungsoo starts to look in my area and figure out if it's indeed someone he knows, 9'30 he bends down to see better, 10'50 he asks yehsung then waves quickly twice, at the end you can see him talk with me ^^

After that, the SBS people told me they were going to hold interviews with the artists and that I would be the one asking the questions to super junior O_O I got really scared rofl but well I wasn't going to say no.
So we went backstage, when we arrived, I noticed Siwon was eating with an older man (probably a manager or something, though I ever saw him before), Donghae and Minho were walking around together, talking. Amber was practicing dancing in the corridors, Taemin and onew were on a couch, onew checking something on his laptop. Finally, Heechul was in Lacoste clothes taking pictures (probably endorsement photoshoot). We waited for a bit, then Shinee arrived. I stayed in the back and didn't say anything except hello and thank you. They might have wondered what the hell I was doing there (well, I don't blame them, I was wondering the exact same thing xD) and minho stared at me most of the time ._. Though I know it's his "thing" it was weird lol.
After the end of the itv, the SBS people realised they had forgot to ask one thing so we went back to them and showed them an article about them in "Le monde" (biggest french newspaper), 4 of them played the whole "omg so cool!" game in front of the camera but Jonghyun stayed in the back, playing on his phone. The manager was right beside them but didn't seem to mind him not taking part.

Once that was over, DBSK came. First they did a MBC interview, then one with SBS. I stayed in the back as well. Then it was F(x) turn, the same thing happened, and as well for Soshi. Hyohyeon had a pink rose, she was also the only one without hills so she was tip toeing not to look too short.. xD To the question which member do they think has the most fans in france, they directly said Hyohyeon. Also in f(x), they said Amber had the most fans.

Then finally arrived suju. Jungsoo said Hi to me again, surprised to see me here I guess, and then for a little while they talked to the journalist. Because SBS had only brought one mic and they had just realised suju were 10 and it was going to be complicated for me to take the mic then give it to them etc. :/ quickly they concluded it wasn't going to work so I didn't do the interview lol. (thank god xD) Also, Siwon and Donghae at first seemed to be like "who is this girl, I think I know her" but they couldn't place me. But when Jungsoo talked to me, said Alice and stuff like that Siwon remembered and told Donghae. Then Donghae was like "oh I remember you from the fansign!!" (I had him on fansign in 2010.. O_O wow good memory!! XD) anyway after that, I was like... very awkard, not sure what to do with myself, they were all looking at me and I obviously looked awkward lol. The journalist was like "oh she is blushing!" and Jungsoo and others (not sure who) laughed a bit *dies from embarassment forever* Siwon talked to me a bit (in korean ;__; why couldn't he talk in english rofl xD there was so much noise with the fans in the venue screaming, I couldn't hear everything... plus in general when I'm around them I have a brain freeze ^^;;; so my korean is limited rofl) asking me if i was still studying, etc.

Anyway then they did the interview, they spoke in french, said they wanted to go to south america and hyukjae started dancing some kind of salsa xD (well you will see all that once the interview airs anyway!!) jungsoo, hyukjae, yehsung and siwon were the only ones talking... sometimes they tried to give the mic to other boys but they always pushed it back... nothing to say it seems. Also Shindong really looked in a bad mood idk why ): And sungmin looked insanely tired ):

Then when it was over Jungsoo said good bye to me, they all left... And right after they had disapeared the journalist was like "oh no we forgot to ask them for a picture!" I was like... what what? I didn't ask for one, well not that I would be against it but... it's ok don't worry! But she runned after them and asked Jungsoo for a picture lol xD He said ok, but first they had to do something else so first all the SM artists went up to film something for idk what, probably SM.
A couple of minutes after they all came back to their rooms. First Siwon, when he saw me shook my hand and said good bye again and good luck for the rest... So handsome.. I can't.
Then Jungsoo came back, I gave my phone to the journalist and he took the pic of us, at that moment the soshi girls were coming down to their rooms as well but we were blocking the way cause the corridors are very small... (so embarrassing... again xD)
After that, he asked me if I would come back to korea, I said no, that i was here definitively he was like "really?" and I said I might come back later, for holidays~ so first he shook my hand... And then like in kind of an impulse move, he came forward and hugged me <3 I was surprised but it felt good <3 it was actually my 3rd hug with Jungsoo, first was at the hug event and second was at a special cabbage sale event (it was my twitter background for a looong time). And every sigle times it felt really good... even though he is skinny (lol) it's warm and comfy to be in his arms like that. I always die a little when it happens... Then I miss it for weeks afterwards.

But every good things have to come to an end, and after that we said a final good bye and I left. Even though I didn't have a concert ticket, because the concert was about to start when I left I ended up in the standing area... so I didn't have to go anywhere, I just stayed there and enjoyed the concert ^^



You can say that I'm very lucky, because it's true... I've been insanely lucky with the fandom in general, and especially with Jungsoo. I have nothing to say for my defence...Cause most of everything I lived thank to Jungsoo was mainly luck. I even had a photoshoot with Andre Kim thanks to him... indirectly thanks to him but noneless... I wouldn't have had that experience if i hadn't been his fan.
I have a lot to thank him for. I started being a fan of super junior and of Jungsoo mainly because I had a hard time in real life and needed somewhere to escape... It became a whole part of my life for 5 years and it actually.. became too much at some point. I realised by the end of last year that it had taken OVER my life, that I had barely any real life and at 24... I needed to get back on my feet and move forward. But with Jungsoo it's everything or nothing, if I'm his fan I -AM- his fan and I'm fully commited to it. I thought I had to cut it off my life completly or nothing. It killed me to say this but at this point, it seemed to be the case. So for the past 6months I tried to get away from fandom... not listening to kpop or following anything... It worked... kinda. But I was close to success for the past couple of months. SMtown and everything that happened brought me back completly into fandom and the past 6 months had turned into dust.
Now... I decided to take a new approch to it. I will still be a Jungsoo fan, I won't try to cut fandom off my life completly, because obviously it will always come back at me. Look at how they came to France right when I left Korea... It's like they are following me, like if my luck is a curse... but I don't want it to become one so I'll stay in fandom, just try to be only there a little... not so much into it as I used to it.
I don't exactly know what my life in fandom will become in the future anyway... All I can say is that whatever happens... Jungsoo will always have a special spot in my heart, he will always be my special person, he brought a lot of joy and tears to my life and it will never be forgotten. I love you Park Jungsoo ♥

jungsoo, super junior

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